More than 2 dozen admit working illegally

Northampton judge gives no punishment. Men face deportation.

November 04, 2004|By Tyra Braden Of The Morning Call

Hands gripping one another's shoulders, a small group of illegal immigrants shackled at the ankles shuffled down a hallway at the Northampton County Courthouse on Wednesday. Moments after they were seated in a courtroom, deputy sheriffs herded more shackled men into the room.

"We ran out of shackles," Sheriff Jeffrey Hawbecker said as he watched a third group of men -- these linked only by handcuffs -- make its way down the hall. "We'll order more handcuffs and shackles tomorrow, in case this happens again."

FOR THE RECORD - (Published Friday, November 5, 2004) In some editions Thursday, a list of illegal immigrants who pleaded guilty to identity theft crimes Wednesday in Northampton County Court omitted Angel Echevaria, 23, of 1543 Liberty St., Wilson. Echevaria pleaded guilty to tampering with public records.

The more than two dozen men had been held in the county prison in Easton since Oct. 25, when they were charged with identity theft or tampering with public records, or both. They had all worked at Rapp Bros. Pallet Services Inc. in Williams Township, and they all had Social Security numbers that belong to other people or were fake or invalid.

All the men pleaded guilty Wednesday to one or both of the criminal charges. Judge Leonard N. Zito accepted the pleas and found the defendants guilty. He imposed no punishment, and they were released from prison. "Their crime was simply to go to work," Zito said. A translator let the Spanish-speaking men know what was going on.

Zito asked for a show of hands to see if any of the men have family in the Northampton County area. Numerous hands went up, but it was uncertain how many have relatives here because they were handcuffed on either side to someone else.

The judge asked what would happen to the men after they were released from prison. Assistant District Attorney Jay W. Jenkins said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, not local authorities, would determine that.

Fernando Trevino, an officer of the Consulate of Mexico's Philadelphia office, where he heads the criminal division, told Zito that ICE would send notices to the men within 45 days. The notices would instruct them to appear before immigration officials, who would determine what action to take.

Trevino said ICE could order the men to leave the country, adding that nearly two dozen are from Mexico, three are from Central America, and one is from South America.

"Can they apply to become citizens?" Zito asked.

Trevino said the Mexicans would first have to return to their country and secure temporary visas. However, he said, visas are not granted to Mexicans who have been deported.

"So their fate is pretty much sealed?" Zito asked.

"Yes," Trevino said.

Public Defenders Dwight Danser, Mark Minotti and Gil Negrete had been appointed to represent the men. Zito asked how the men were supposed to support themselves and their families while they awaited word from ICE.

Danser said Zito might want to advise the men to seek subcontractor work so they could be paid in cash. The judge said he wouldn't suggest doing that, because it's illegal.

Jenkins asked Zito to sentence the men to county prison terms, pointing out that identity theft and tampering with public records are serious crimes. The judge agreed. However, he said, the men apparently didn't mean to harm anyone.

"In some ways, it's a sad day for this country," Zito said, adding that the nation has always had many immigrants.

The following men pleaded guilty to identity theft and tampering with public records.